Improvement in corn-shellers



vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS ADAMS, or sANDWIoH, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT l-N CORN-SHELLERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,306, dated January 28, 1873.-

To all fwhom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, AUeUs'rUs ADAMS, of Sandwich,`in the county of De Kalb and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Shellers, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,.clear7 and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specication, in which- .Figure l is a perspective viewot' a cornsheller, showing my improvements; Fig. 2 is a plan View ot' the' same with the top removed; and Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing a modification ot' the screen.

Similar letters of reference in the drawing indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates to that class of corn- .shellers in which a picker-wheel is employed for shelling the corn; and has for its object to more completely separate the cobs from the-shelled corn. To this end the invention consists, iirst, in placing an open grate or screen in an inclined position between the picker-wheel and side of the sheller for the purpose of causing the cobs to press against the picker-wheel sufficiently to be carried forward and thrown out ot' the discharge-open ing when the machine is in operation, the shelled corn falling through the grate into a suitable receptacle; secondly, in the combi nation of a shield or guideblock with the inclined grate or screen to prevent the cobs from being carried round by the picker-wheel and to assist in discharging them from the machine; and it consists, lastly, in the peculiar construction of the discharge-opening, and in the combination of the inclined grate f or 'screen and guide-block with the parts ot an ordinary corn-sheller, as I will now proceed to describe.

In the accompanying drawing', A is the fra-me or case ofthe corn-sheller; B, the feed wheel; and G, the picker or shelling' wheel, all constructed in the usual manner. D is the inclined grate, either cast or otherwise formed in one piece or made from a perforated plate or screen, or composed of a number of metal rods, and arranged in the space between the face of the picker-wheel and the side of the case. The grate is so placed as .to incline from the side ot' the case downward to or near the lower edge of the pickerwheel, and from the discharge-opening E downward to or under the feed-wheel. The degree ot inclination is immaterial, the only requisite being that it shall be such as to allow the ears of' corn to fall against the pickerwheel.

The position of the grate, with respect to the feed-wheel anddischarge-opening E, is not necessarily inclined, (although it is so rep resentedin the drawing,) .because the discharge-opening is higher than the inner ends of the grate-bars. It may be arranged in a horizontal plane, the lateral inclination, ot course, being preserved. Its longitudinal position should be such, however, that the lower bars shall extend to or near the lower edge of the picker-wheel, as previously described.

When the sheller is in operation the ears of corn fall upon the inclined grate, whereby they are pressed against the picker-wheel with suflicient force to be shelled and the cobs thrown out of the discharge-opening. The lateral inclination of the grate causes the cobs to fall against the picker-wheel, while its interstices permit the free passage of the shelled corn through the bottom ot' the machine. By this provision the corn is separated perfectly from the cobs and discharged into a separate receptacle.

G is a block or plate, arranged within thc sheller -above the inclined grate to serve as a stop to prevent the cobs from being carried round by the pickerwheel and to assist inV throwing them out of the discharge-opening E, as will be. readily understood.

The position of the discharge-opening E is in the front side of the sheller in line with the grate, as above described, and it is formed with an inclined edge, 7L, to support the outer end of the grate.

By this construction the front ot' the machine is closed below the grate to prevent any portion of the shelled corn from dropping out with the cobs.

Fig. 3 shows a grate or screen composed ot' a perforated plate of wood or metal, which may be used in place of the metal rods.

I do not confine myself to any special construction ot' the grate or screen, as it may be e lessor;

made of any suitable material and form, the essential requisite being that it shall be arranged in the corn-sneller7 as above described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. The inclined grate or screen D placed between the picker-Wheel and side of the corn-sneller, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The inclined grate or screen D in coinbination with the picker and feed Wheels of a corn-sneller7 substantially as described, for the purpose speeied.

3. The guide block or plate G in combination with the inclined grate or screen to permit the discharge of the eobs from the macliine, substantially as described.

4. The discharge-opening E 7L, the inclined grate or screen D, and the guide block or plate G in combination with an ordinary pieker-Wheel corn-Sheller, substantially'as described, ior the purposes specified.

AUGUSTUS ADAMS.

Witnesses:

' W. C. PHELPs,

J. l?. ADAMS. 

